This authoritative guide directs consumers and users of test scores on when and how to provide subscores and how to make informed decisions based on them. The book is designed to be accessible to practitioners and score users with varying levels of technical expertise, from executives of testing organizations and students who take tests to graduate students in educational measurement, psychometricians, and test developers. The theoretical background required to evaluate subscores and improve them are provided alongside examples of tests with subscores to illustrate their use and misuse. The first chapter covers the history of tests, subtests, scores, and subscores. Later chapters go into subscore reporting, evaluating and improving the quality of subscores, and alternatives to subscores when they are not appropriate. This thorough introduction to the existing research and best practices will be useful to graduate students, researchers, and practitioners.

‘The authors cogently and compellingly warn potential sub-score users of the adage, ‘buyer beware.’ In economic terms, demand is seductive; supply is low quality; and the price of improved quality unexpectedly high.’

Arthur E. Wise - Education author, advocate, and policymaker

‘This compact volume provides both contemporary theory and sage advice about subscores for test developers, integrating seminal ideas and essential results from more than three dozen publications on the subject published by the authors over the past twenty-five years. It is an essential reference for practitioners and an ideal text for classes in test development.’

David Thissen - Professor Emeritus, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

‘This book is a masterful treatise on the subject of subtests, essential reading for all psychometricians, both practicing and aspiring. The figures are abundant and lucidly explained, as are the necessary equations. The text is learned and sophisticated, with occasional flashes of wit, and is enriched by numerous real-world examples.’

Malcolm James Ree - Ph.D., Past chair of the ASVAB Technical Committee

‘Subscores: A Practical Guide for Their Production and Consumption provides a comprehensive overview of the often-misunderstood characteristics of subscores. It fills an important gap in responsible testing with a much-needed explication of subscore meaning and use in an accessible form for both expert and non-expert stakeholders in the assessment world. Its value makes one hope it is not Wainer’s last contribution to the field.’

Donald E. Melnick - M.D., MACP, Past President, National Board of Medical Examiners

‘This volume is sure to become a landmark in the study of subscores in educational tests. Based on two decades of research, it offers a coherent, comprehensive and eminently readable treatment of all aspects of the subject. Test developers, psychometricians, practitioners and - especially - users will find much wisdom and practical advice on generating, evaluating and employing subscores in a broad range of contexts.’

Henry Braun - Boisi Professor of Education and Public Policy, Boston College